Different This Time
by NumberofWattage
Summary: The Animorph's attempt to rescue Ax results in catastrophe but offers a new beginning.
1. Chapter 1

**Different This Time**

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Chap. 1. Cosmic Experiment

_Jake_

"Ram the blade ship."

The Rachel blew towards the Blade Ship, which opened fire and moved to bank to our left and beneath but we were much faster and easily moved back into a collision course.

Wide holes were blasted from the Rachel by Dracon fire and we were nearly swept away as the atmosphere vented and bitter cold filled the ship.

Marco motioned at me, his eyes cold and determined and Tobias, the only one able to thought speak in the noiseless vacuum, gripped his shoulder. (Jake, the weapons!)

I pushed to the weapons systems and caught the seat. Menderash grimly guided The Rachel to our destruction. I opened fire at our collision point of the Blade Ship and it's shields flared and began to falter from concentrated Dracon fire.

The Blade Ship's force shield failed just as we slammed into and through the hull of the larger ship. We crunched to a halt halfway inside.

A glance told me that Menderash was already dead, his head slammed into his controls. Jeanne was nowhere to be seen, probably thrown through the gaping hole in the hull, and Santorelli was fading from cold and oxygen deprivation Marco approach and grabbed my shoulder We have to finish it Tobias said quietly (Do it now, Jake, free Ax.)

I looked over my shoulder at them. We were it, I realized, the only remaining active Animorphs. Rachel was dead, Ax might as well be and Cassie had moved on.

Fighting unconsciousness, I looked forward and opened up the full fury of the Rachel's Dracon cannons.

I felt a rush, as if I had left my body. From far away I saw the two ships breaking apart until they were consumed and vaporized in a silent white hot explosion.

Marco and Tobias were there, I realized, bodiless but distinct to my perception. Ax too, released from that abomination.

(Hmm) said a voice in our heads. (I see, you equated your sacrifice to victory.)

(Who is that) Marco wondered.

(We just spoke, though I didn't clarify my true nature. It was necessary to my study of your kind.)

(Study?) Ax said (You are not an Ellimist.)

(What I am is only important to myself, even if I told you the information will be lost in a moment.)

(Lost? What are you going to do?) I asked.

(I wish to retrace your path to the beginning, Jake, alter a few factors, experiment, further study of your nature, the nature of all of your kind.)

(What do you-) my mind blinked out of existence.

(Things will be different this time.)

_Years earlier, a construction site_

The spaceship settled to the ground. We stepped back, nervous but unwilling to run away. We knew this was important, somehow.

"Should we talk to it?" Rachel asked.

Tobias grinned, it seemed strange that he even could smile. "We won't hurt you" he told the ship. when it didn't respond he said again "Please come out. We wont hurt you."

(I know.) said a voice in my head. An opening began to form on the ship.

A red beam lanced from the sky and hit the ship, obliterating it.

We all dove for cover. Above us we heard a roar and that grew fainter as the ship sped away.

Tobias was the first to stand. He looked at the blackened earth where the ship had once stood in horror. "That didn't just happen" he said, dazed.

The rest of us soon followed. Cassie was crying and Rachel tried to comfort her friend. Marco nervously watched the sky, probably expecting the ship to return.

Tobias walked to where the ship had been and bent over. I moved near him and saw a blackened cube in his hand.

"What is that thing?" I asked. Tobias shook his head.

The others came over, Cassie wiping her face on her sleeve. We stared at the cube.

Cracks of blue light shone through the scorch marks.

I felt compelled to touch the alien box.

The five of us reached out.

_Note: A rewrite of this chapter, though mostly the same. I originally posted this when I first created my account and was going to just leave it as a one shot but recently decided to expand it. Chapter 2 and more to come._


	2. Chapter 2

**Different This Time**

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Chap. 2: The Noontime Morning

_Jake_

There was a sharp knock on my door and I fell out of bed and onto my head. "Oooww"

"Get up, Jake!" Mom called through the door "I don't care what time you got in last night, you're not staying in bed all day."

"I'm up, I'm up." I stumbled to my feet and immediately tripped over my dog, Homer, who yelped. "Sorry, boy."

I rubbed my face and looked around. What happened last night? I was covered in dirt and hadn't even kicked my shoes off before going to bed. My alarm was still buzzing and I was surprised it hadn't woken me

Someone thumped on the door. "Come on, Midget, Mom's getting pissed." Tom said as I opened it "Whoa what happened to you?"

"Uh, I don't quite remember." The spaceships and aliens had to be a dream.

"That's not good, Jake." Tom's tone became hushed and serious, he looked around for Mom. "I mean, I'll cover this time but you can't fall into alcohol just because you don't make a basketball team."

I blinked "What?"

"Jake, If you need help, I know The Sharing has a great-" he cut himself off as Mom turned into the hall "Youth sports program! You could get some practice in, try again next year."

"Thanks." I had heard enough about that stupid organization my brother loved so much. Him talking about my not making the team like he did was annoying. Sometimes I wished I was more like Tom. I shoved past him and tripped over Homer again. "Oops"

Tom grabbed my arm before I could fall headfirst down the stair. I sighed and grinned at him "Thanks."

He looked at me blankly for a moment and his grip loosened like he was going to let me fall but he refocused and returned my grin and ruffled my hair like I was a little kid . "No good getting you killed, right? You have not yet outlived your usefulness. Muhahaha" he joked.

I rolled my eyes. "Ha,ha."

The doorbell rang downstairs.

"Jake, Tobias is here to see you." Mom called.

"Tobias?" I frowned, was he with me last night? He might know what happened. "Coming."

"Remember, Jake. If you need any help, just tell me." Tom said.

"Right, I know."


	3. Chapter 3

**Different This Time**

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Chap. 3: Blue Light

_Tobias_

"Hi, is Jake home?" I said cheerfully when Jake's mom answered.

"Oh, Tobias! Yes he's here but he just got up. Give him a moment." She led me inside and yelled "Jake, Tobias is here to see you."

"Coming!" I heard someone thumping down the stairs and turned just as Jake grabbed my arm "Come on." he hissed as he dragged me past his mom and back outside. "Later, Mom."

"Wait!" she yelled.

"What's wrong?" I glanced back at Tom, who was staring after us.

We stopped a ways down the street and he spun around. "What happened last night? Do you remember it?"

"You don't?" I opened my backpack and showed him the cube. I had cleaned it up at home but there were still scorch marks covering the surface. Jake looked at it and nervously pushed his hair back.

"The aliens, the ships." he groaned "What did that box thing do to us, anyway? Have you seen the others?"

"Well, Marco insisted that nothing happened. Jake, you know that if there are aliens, some kind of invasion or something, we have to do something.

"Like what?"

"I have no idea. We need to get the others together and work it out." I said.

"Maybe we should tell someone, the government." Jake frowned "If they'd even believe us."

"I doubt it."

"Okay, we do have to figure this out. Give me a sec." He ran back to his house.

I sighed and grabbed my bike. Jake might be able to convince Marco. I hadn't seen Rachel or Cassie all day. I didn't really know them but knew that Jake was Rachel's cousin.

Jake returned with his bike and Homer "I called Rachel, we're going to meet at Cassie's place."

"Let's go get Marco, then." I stuffed the blue cube back in my bag and we rode off, Homer happily running alongside.


	4. Chapter 4

**Different This Time**

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Chap. 4: Regroup

_Marco_

I seriously considered drowning myself in my bathwater. Anything to stop the headache.

"Crap." I groaned as I got up and stared into the mirror. Ever since last night, I couldn't close my eyes without seeing that flash of light and come up with ever worse case scenarios for an alien presence.

"Marco?"

"Gaah!" I nearly pitched headfirst into my reflection.

"It's me, your dad let us in." Jake called through the bathroom door.

"I know it's you." I snarled, popping aspirin into my mouth "You scared the hell out of me."

"Uh, sorry. We need to talk to you about last night."

"We? What happened last night?" I asked, deciding to play stupid. I really just didn't want to get into that.

There was a banging on the door and I flinched as my headache pounded in time to the sound "Get out here, we're meeting the others." Tobias yelled. He didn't need to tell me what others.

I whipped the door open and threw a wet towel at his face "I got a headache, damn it." Tobias threw it back and I slung it awesomely over my shoulder and into the hamper. I didn't need to look to know it made it in.

Jake almost smiled "Don't leave your towel on the floor." I chose to ignore the liar.

"What did you want?"

"You know." Jake looked at Tobias "We can't just ignore it, Marco."

I led the way to my room "We don't have to ignore it, just tell someone and let the military deal with the aliens."

"We were considering that." Jake seemed doubtful "Marco, would you believe a bunch of kids about a UFO sighting? There was hardly a trace at the construction site and this looks like a toy or something." Tobias tossed me the box we had touched the night before.

I sighed "You're saying we need more evidence. How do you expect to get it without getting us killed?"

"We wont be fighting any aliens, we couldn't if we wanted to. We wont die, Marco." Tobias said, confidently.

I glared at him and Jake "I guess we can just talk about it. Fine, lets get it over with."

We trooped to the front door and I grabbed my jacket "I'm gonna head out for a bit." I called.

My mom swiveled in her chair from her computer "Be back before seven."

"Kay."

_Rachel_

The barn was full of animals in cages. Cassies dad was a vet, the barn his Wildlife Rehabilitation Clinic. Her mom was a vet too but worked at The Gardens, an amusement park and zoo.

Cassie was way too quiet. I mean, she was still doing her normal 'Cassie in the barn' stuff but she hadn't spoken more than three words all day.

"You're really down about that alien, huh?" I asked.

She didn't even glance up from the hawk she was working on but shook her head. "That was so long ago."

"Um, that was last night." Her head jerked up and she blinked at me. "Are you okay?"

"I...don't know. Bad dreams." Cassie looked confused but focused on the barn door as bike tires skidded on the gravel. "Here they are."

I jumped up from my hay bale of hay as my cousin and his friends walked up the driveway. "Got Marco out from under his bed?" I called, grinning at the short boy in question.

"On top of the bed, actually. I was composing an essay on the many ways and reasons you could bite me." Marco held up his hand to Tobias for a high five and was completely ignored.

"Homer, stay!" Jake warned his big golden retriever away from the barn full of animals before following the others inside "Sorry, Cassie. I didn't even think to leave him at home."

"He's fine, he can't get into the cages." Cassie smiled slightly as the big dog trotted in and happily snuffled about, the many animals watching warily.

"Look." I handed Jake the newspaper I had been holding. His eyes scanned the article about the disturbance in the construction site.

"Cool, so the cops know about it now. That's a relief."

"Keep reading." I said.

He read on. "So they're skeptical. Nobody's going to just buy into reports of flying saucers, I guess." When he came to the end of the article about kids setting off fireworks his eyes widened. "They're looking for us." Jake set the paper down. "Not our biggest problem right now."

Marco flopped down beside me "So, what's up? Little green men or tall green chicks?"

"If you want a fair fight you better hope for little green chicks, Shrimp."

"I can work with that." he batted his eyelashes at me.

Jake rolled his eyes "Seriously?" he shook his head "What do we do? We're clearly the only ones who know about the aliens, otherwise the military or something would be everywhere, right?"

"How do we even know there is an invasion?" I asked.

"Exactly, they destroyed that other ship." Marco pointed out "They could be fighting each other and just happened to drop out of warp in our neighborhood."

We all fell silent, none of us really believed that. We suddenly heard a car on the gravel driveway. "The cops." Tobias said as a car rolled into view. It parked and a cop stepped out.

"Mornin'"

"Can we help you, officer?" I asked.

"We're making some inquiries. We're looking for some kids who were lighting fireworks last night."

Marco started coughing "Something wrong with him?" the cop asked

"Nope, nothing wrong with him." Jake said a bit too quickly.

"We want these kids, we want them real bad. See, it was dangerous what they did. Could have been someone hurt. So we want to find the kids."

I almost cringed, something about the way he said it sounded way off.

"I don't know anything about it." Jake said.

The cop looked at him "You look familiar, like a young man named Tom."

"He's my brother."

"So you're Jake? Tom said something earlier, he's real worried about something you might be consuming." Jake's face went flat "If you need help with your problem, I'm an adult supervisor for the Sharing. He already invited you, I hear. You should come to a meeting.

"Well, you call me if you hear anything about these kids in the construction site. I should

warn you - they may come up with some wild story to conceal their guilt. But you're too

smart to believe a bunch of crazy lies, aren't you?"

We all nodded and he got back into his car and left. That had felt too weird.

"What if...what if they look like people. Like us, you know. Disguises, maybe." I whispered, the horror of the possibility occurring to me "They could be on Earth, in positions of power. Maybe the government does know and are just..."

"But that would mean an invasion as already complete." Tobias frowned. He held up the blue cube and stared at it. "It can't already be all over."

"It's not." Cassie straightened up "I think I know where to get answers." she suddenly looked less confident. "Though it's not really clear."

"What are you talking about." She was starting to worry me.

"I...we need to do something kinda illegal."

We stared at her "Huh?"

"Uh, very illegal." Cassie clarified with a weak grin.

_Note: You know, I really had no reason for Tom to think Jake was an alcoholic last chapter other than that I found it amusing. Now every controller he meets just brings it up. Anyway, Animorphs was a really long series and keeping an alternate time line flowing in the right direction is complicated, especially after depriving the protagonists of the information on their enemies and allies that they had the first time. I have a general outline of where this story is going but I would greatly appreciate interested readers giving helpful reviews to keep things straight._


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